Celebrate the carving artistry of George Calef

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Posted Dec. 6, 2012 at 3:15 AM

Posted Dec. 6, 2012 at 3:15 AM

ROCHESTER — The Franklin Gallery, 60 Wakefield St., is proud to feature an exhibit called “A Wood Carver's Celebration of Birds” — more than 20 magnificent carvings of birds by Barrington artist and master wood carver George Calef. The exhibit runs through December.

George Calef, known to hundreds of Seacoast area residents for many years for his one-time ownership of George Calef's Fine Foods (1978-2006) and his work with the renowned Calef's Country Store (1952-1978), has been creating wood-carved masterpieces since 1999. The hundreds of blue ribbons and letters of appreciation from people across the country that one can find in his workshop in Barrington — including citations from Governor Steven Merrill and President Bill Clinton for his community service work — give powerful testimony to his extraordinary accomplishments as business man, master carver and ardent community service volunteer with hundreds of accumulated service hours in the town of Barrington.

Calef is known among professional woodcarvers and collectors as a master craftsman and wildfowl artist specializing in waterfowl and songbirds. He has worked as head judge at many wood carving competitions and earned awards over 13 years from a long list of organizations including the Maine Wood Carvers' Association; the Wildlife Art and Carving Exposition in Topsfield, Massachusetts; Cabela's of Hartford, Connecticut; and the New England Wood Carvers' Association. He has won First and Second Place awards at the World Wood Carving Championships in Ocean City, Maryland and published three times in Wood Carving Illustrated Magazine of East Petersburg, Pennsylvania.

He's received the President's Award in wood carving from the New England Woodcarvers in Lancaster, Massachusetts, and his carvings of a pair of purple finches (the New Hampshire State Bird) were presented to New Hampshire Governor Craig Benson and the Governor's Council in March of 2004.

Calef welcomes visitors to his workshop in Barrington, but asks them to call in advance. He is also available for commissions as master wood carver.

The Franklin Gallery and Ben Franklin Crafts are open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more about A Wood Carver's Celebration of Birds and future Franklin Gallery exhibits, write to Ross, the Franklin Gallery manager, at artsmultiple@gmail.com.